Reconstructing Alexandria
by EJonna
Summary: Sequel to "The Heart of War." Caryl centric, but multi-character with secondary focus on the Grimes family. With the war against the Saviors finally over, and Rick stepping aside to focus on his expanding family, the residents of Alexandria work to rebuild their community under new leadership: The Dixons.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

Reconstruction

Carol stood naked before the mirror over the bathroom sink, staring at her reflection as if it were the first time she'd ever seen the actual image of herself. Quite frankly, it was at least the first time in years that she'd paid any attention to her face at all, but now that she had given into the ritual she once considered to be merely for the vain-at-heart, she found herself unable to look away until she could complete her own thorough, visual self-assessment.

Now that she was pushing fifty years old, she had expected to find someone along the lines of a Blanche Deveraux at best peering back at her through the foggy glass, but the woman who stared back was still far too youthful to be considered a Golden Girl just yet, even with almost a full head of gray hair.

And if her face alone wasn't argument enough, those breasts! Sure, she had only nursing motherhood to thank for their current voluptuousness, and she had never really been one to measure her womanhood based on breast-size to begin with, despite Ed's best attempts to belittle her for it and convince her otherwise, but she also couldn't deny that there was a tiny little part of her that would be silently celebrating their presence for as long as they were with her. For a moment, the thought forced her to consider that maybe Ed had somehow managed to beat her into judging her self-worth based on that after all, but then a more realistic assessment emerged. She felt more beautiful now than ever because she was with somebody who didn't give one damn about her cup size, and truly based his love for her on the only things that really mattered, and that gave her the freedom of judging her body on her own terms and not somebody else's. It made perfect sense to be proud of her breasts considering what their current state represented; being blessed with another child that she shared with the most amazing man she'd ever known.

Their baby boy Alexander officially turned one month old this morning, but according to Daryl, she never lost her 'pregnancy glow;' a statement that made her laugh hysterically the first time he had pitched the idea considering that he had only seen her pregnant for all of maybe eight hours, and during that short period of time she had lost so much blood she found it hard to believe she resembled anything other than a brand new, crisp white bedsheet. Still, she realized the point he was trying to make and now after seeing for herself what he'd made such a fuss about, she had a much simpler and more logical explanation for those perpetually rosy cheeks: happiness.

She'd been wearing that ever-present smile, however subtle at times, showcased before her for exactly one month now without ever taking it off. Often it had grown wider and brighter, usually in reaction to either her husband or son or both, and tasks such as talking and eating obviously interfered with it's appearance at times, but otherwise that slight upturn at both corners of her mouth was always there. It had become her new resting bitch face she supposed, although since the name was no longer befitting she'd have to figure out some other clever name to call it. Resting Dix face?

This proposal made her giggle. There was a time not too long ago where such a suggestion referencing the name Dixon would cause one to conjure up images of a pair of blue eyes cutting through your soul like a laser beam from between a narrow part in the long, brown hair that framed them. Now, not only must one first distinguish exactly which Dixon you were referring to when making such a statement, they also had to consider the fact that the original Dixon was no longer quite as intimidating as he used to be, and that a "resting Dix face," when taking the entire Dixon family into consideration as opposed to just an individual, could very well imply that one was referencing someone who walked around with a goofy grin on their face at all times.

Case in point, the very one Daryl was wearing at the moment when he suddenly appeared in the mirror behind her. His reflection really didn't do the twinkle in his eyes that she knew was there any justice, and she was anxious to spin around for a more intimate greeting to his arrival, but for a moment she found herself taking the time to appreciate another sight that was a first for her to see, and she had to say that, without prejudice of course, wink-wink, they were one pretty adorable couple.

"Time's a-tickin' Mrs. Dixon. We don't wanna be late for our first day of work," he purred right next to her ear before nuzzling his way in for a kiss to her cheek. The brush of his stubble against her skin gave her goosebumps like it did every time, and she was never quite sure if it was an effect brought on by the sensation itself, or the thrill of intimacy, or both. Probably both, but to play it on the safe side, she boldy stated her preference for at least some scruff to remain when he proposed just this morning to shave or not to shave.

"I see it must be casual Friday," she quipped with a giggle as she turned to face him now, her hands smoothing out imaginary wrinkles in the denim vest which topped off the black, button-down shirt with the rolled-up sleeves.

"what, you didn't get the memo," he hummed, as his own hands were enjoying a little petting of their own on the naked flesh of the small of her back.

"You coulda told me before I went through all the trouble of finding that polyester pantsuit," she said as she rose up on the tips of her toes; her own subtle method for directing his hands where she wanted them to be.

"Sorry. I admit, I really just wanted to see your sexy ass in that pantsuit." Extra emphasis was implied to "sexy ass" with the squeeze to her buttocks she had been fishing for in the first place.

"Really now?" Her face was suddenly alight as if someone had just switched on a lightbulb over her head. "Well, perhaps later on we can begin going over Monday's agenda and I'll dress the part to set the tone."

"Mmmmm. And Monday's agenda of course concerns me and going over all my new responsibilities, rules, and regulations, right?"

"Damn skippy. Better enjoy the weekend, Mr. Dixon cuz come Monday, your ass is mine."

The playful exchange that just took place was yet another first. Obviously they'd had sex with a kid to prove it, but to actually initiate a discussion about sexual preferences and potentially embarrassing kinks was a pretty major indicator that one had complete trust in their partner. You either had to be pretty sure you were on the same page, or at least that your partner wouldn't laugh if you weren't, to share something so personal, and she was happy to discover that in this case, it was the former over the latter.

Not that she really had any kind of fetish that she was completely aware of since it had been years since she'd even thought of such things, but what she did have now that she never had before was a partner who seemed every bit as willing and eager as she to explore this new territory they were treading in with a leave-no-stone-unturned attitude. She was fairly sure the little flinch in his eyes when she began to play along was relief settling in after boldly testing yet another one of these strange, new, unchartered waters which seemed to be greeting them at every turn.

What delighted her most of all however was this newly-discovered ability to actually turn-on a member of the opposite sex, made apparent by the sudden presence of a rising firmness in his pants.

"Are you sure we can't do this now," he proposed with a tantalizing tone that just begged her to give in to her own temptations, which she just might have been too weak to resist if hadn't been for the simple fact that she was still forbidden to carry out the act on doctor's orders. This realization that any frolicking beneath the sheets must continue to remain off the table for a couple more weeks brought a frown to her face, which also effectively provided Daryl with the answer he sought.

"Guess I better go check on Chopper."

She couldn't help but snort in amusement a little as she watched him walk away in a slightly distorted manner from his normal gait due to the slight disruption in his pants, but all her snickering was soon replaced with a look of complete adoration as she observed the current exchange taking place between father and son, involving multiple kisses to their baby's forehead met with the sweetest sound of his soft little coos each time Daryl's lips made contact. This was the new morning ritual now, and every day it was getting harder and harder to imagine what life would be like without them, which was why it was so important for her, for them, to secure a future in which they'd never have to find out.

It was this thought that prompted her to get moving and get dressed, regardless of the fact that she would much prefer to spend the day watching Daryl play with their boy as opposed to delivering the much-needed kick in the ass that the residents of Alexandria were about to receive on her behalf, but that was just one of the many sacrifices you needed to make to ensure that your family would not only merely survive, but also thrive and always have a place to call home at the end of the day. And by family, she truly considered everyone who lived within Alexandria's walls to be a part of hers, but she also felt no shame in admitting that despite that fact, Alexander and Daryl would always come first, and every decision she would make would be based on whether or not it had their best interests in mind.

At first she thought it sounded kind of selfish, and she began to doubt whether or not she could rally an entire community to stand behind these beliefs that were all designed from hopes of establishing a better future for her son, inspired largely by her recent stay at Riverview. But all a parent wants, a good one anyway, is the best possible life that they could possibly provide for their child, and if something is good enough for the most important person in your life, then isn't it safe to say that, as a result, these benefits are extended to all who believe in your dream and make it happen? The answer is yes, of course it does, but sometimes it can take a little persuasion before people start seeing things your way. Especially when they start getting too content, like Rick himself admitted being guilty of for at least the last couple of months.

Not that she could blame him. On some level, she completely understood the feeling she imagined was somewhat like nirvana, when you just managed to pull your family through tough times, with all members coming out relatively unscathed on the other end. And when it's a process that has repeated itself over and over again, it can very easily lead to this false sense of invincibility if you let yourself get too complacent over what is probably more like simply having the luck of the draw this go 'round than anything. Sooner or later, odds were something would happen to shake things up, and she sure as hell wasn't about to put herself in the position of having regrets over all the things that she could have potentially done to stop it, even if things should not work out in her favor in the end.

Of course Rick knew this too, but the man was tired. Tired of fighting, tired of always being in charge, and now with a new baby on the way, he had blatantly confessed to Daryl and herself that since the day he learned he was about to become a father again, he found himself caring about little other than enjoying some quiet time at home surrounded by his family, and Carol found herself completely unable to discredit him in any way for wanting to do that. He had already sacrificed so much for so long for so many that it was high time that somebody else should step up to the plate, and Rick couldn't have been more pleased that she volunteered herself for the job considering the fact that she would be his first pick should he be forced to name a successor if no one had stepped forward.

But step forward she did from the moment she was reunited with the group, without any prior knowledge of Michonne's pregnancy or Rick's unofficial resignation, which made for a smooth transition to power thus far. Announcing it to the rest of the group was a different story however, and now that the moment was actually upon her, she was a nervous wreck. She was beginning to understand now how Rick could seem to be a little off his rocker at times if this were any indication of how things were going to be for as long as she was calling the shots.

Thank God she wasn't in this alone. She did have one major advantage that Rick never had, and that was having Daryl in her corner one hundred percent. Rick and Daryl were like brothers, and as close as two unrelated straight men could possibly get, but like true brothers that didn't necessarily mean they always saw things eye to eye. But she and Daryl had always been on the same page since the dawn of their friendship, no matter what the subject might be, even those topics which they never imagined in a million years they would need to have a discussion about, like parenthood for instance.

"Hey. It's gonna be alright."

"Yeah, it is," she replied, unable to do anything but agree with the man whose only goal at the moment was to offer her the little bit of encouragement he could see that she needed. Yes, everything would always be alright as long as he remained at her side.

"Oh, and just so I don't get accused of not givin' you the memo again, I thought you should know..."

"Know what," she was prompted to ask when he failed to complete his sentence.

He remained uncommunicative as he fished through the two large trash bags containing various baby items they'd collected from some of the vacant houses that sat on top of the foot locker at the foot of their bed. He was performing the task single-armed since he was still cradling Alexander in the crook of his other arm, and she'd thought about taking their son off his hands to make his mission a bit easier, but found herself unwilling to disrupt the scene when Daryl informed Chopper that he was part of the secret operation.

"Ah, here we go," he said as he walked toward her now, displaying the pink baby sling as proudly as if it were the catch of the day of a little early morning fishing trip.

"What does the Snugli have to do with the memo," she inquired with a giggle as she slipped the harness over her head, still unsure where he was going with this little innuendo.

"It's also bring your baby to work day," he said with a wink as he gently lowered Alexander into place, never releasing support from his son's unsteady little neck until he was confident that his position was secure.

"You don't think he'll be too mad at us one day for carrying him around in a pink Snugli?"

"Naw, little Chopper man knows real men aren't afraid to wear pink."

Carol nodded at her son adoringly as she stroked his cheek with her fingertip, evoking a smile from her little one through the thrill of her touch. "You're right. If this little guy grows up to be anything like his daddy, he's never gonna be afraid to let the world know exactly what he's made of."

The compliment earned her kiss to the forehead for now since time was limited and they were on their way out the door, but she wasn't saying it just for the sweet reward of Daryl's affection anyway. It was just truth she spoke, and to this day she still believed that she didn't tell him all the things she loved so dearly about him nearly enough.

They looked more like they were on their way to a PTA meeting when they stepped into the church where the group had assembled, with her carrying the baby, and Daryl pushing a vacant stroller for later use complete with a diaper bag, also pink with pastel-colored baby animals, slung over his shoulder. As far as she knew the majority of the group really had no idea what was going on, and judging by the trays of snack food and pitchers of lemonade present, apparently they were under the impression that this was just going to be another laid-back little get together in honor of her and Daryl's arrival back home.

"Rome wasn't built in a day," Daryl muttered the gentle reminder to her privately as he began rubbing circles into her back, precisely in the spot where she had begun to feel the weight of the world suddenly placed upon her. "I wouldn't go expectin' any miracles today."

"Hey guys," Carl said, seeming to appear out of nowhere right before their eyes. "I just wanted you to know I collected all the notebooks and pens that I could find so everyone can take notes. You know, if we even get that far today," he said with a super-exaggerated roll of his lone eye.

"Where's your dad," Carol asked while her eyes were already busy scanning the room in attempt to answer the question for herself.

"He's still back at the house with Michonne. She's having a rough bout of morning sickness today, but they'll be here soon." There was a bit of a pause between the former and his next sentence, but Carol waited patiently before speaking again out of curiosity over what it was she could see he was trying to find the courage to say. "I can start getting them warmed up if you like until they get here. You know, at least get them to start focusing on something other than food."

If she were to name the person next in line who was every bit as passionate as her and Daryl's plans for Alexandria, it was Carl. For the three days that they'd been back home now, spending most of that time within the walls of their own home getting settled in and making the house they now shared together baby-friendly, Carl had been right there with them, ready and willing to help with whatever was needed without even being asked. Whether it was shuffling furniture around, or scrubbing a room clean from head-to-toe, if it needed to be done, he was right on top of it, ready to get the task completed and checked off the list so they could move on to the next thing, all the while picking their brains for more details about their plans. And he had ideas of his own, and good ones, which eventually led Carol to relieve him of menial cleaning tasks in exchange for a way to put his true talents to a much better use: she assigned him to take notes and put together a list of talking points for this morning's meeting. She really had no doubts whatsoever that he would deliver, but when he presented her with the carefully designed agenda that he so obviously took great care and consideration preparing, it had brought tears to her eyes. She couldn't have been more proud if she were Lori herself.

"I think that's a great idea," she replied with a warm smile, stifling her urge to reach out and brush the hair from his face, deciding that it was just too motherly a thing to do. He was no longer their little boy, and performing such a gesture in public seemed like it would be almost insulting to the fine young man standing before her now, even though she was fairly certain that he wouldn't have been phased in the slightest if she had. But she had some pretty big plans for Carl and to ensure that they were getting off on the right foot, she would show him nothing less than the same amount of respect which she would insist he receive from everyone else. And she could always pinch the shit out of his cheeks later on when no one was looking.

Carol and Daryl watched in awe as Carl began to effortlessly work the crowd in a way that demanded their attention without coming off as being demeaning, aggressive or over-eager. He engaged them in a way that made them want to shut up and listen as opposed to being simply told to do so, and Carol was happy to see that Rick and Michonne arrived just in time to see Carl in the prime of one of his finest moments. Glancing up at Daryl and receiving his wink and nod of approval in response, she knew that together they had made the right decision. Carl was going to make one hell of a sheriff, just like his dad.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's note: Thanks to all who have already read "The Heart of War" and continuing on, and those who are giving it a first look before beginning this one. I've noticed THOW is still getting a lot of hits, so I'm assuming this has been the case! I am deliberately taking more time with this story as it involves a much more complex story and larger cast of characters, so you probably won't see more than one update a week. Hope you enjoy this latest update!

Chapter Two

"Well Mrs. Dixon, congratulations. I'd say it was a success."

Carol sighed deeply and hugged Michonne as a thank you gesture for her words of encouragement. She had been a bundle of nerves all morning, but that was something that was only visible exclusively to the members of her rather small, tight-knit circle of six which included both her current company and herself. It was also solely the members of this clan who had began affectionately referring to her as "Mrs. Dixon" over "Carol" since learning of her and Daryl's union, to the point where she was beginning to wonder if she was ever going to hear her first name leave their lips again.

"Well, it means everything to them that I have yours and Rick's support. And it means everything to us too."

"One hundred percent. Look, I know you and Rick have had your differences in the past, but you have to know how much he was affected by it. Rick thinks the world of you, Carol. He knows how poorly he misjudged you and cast you aside and I don't think he'll ever forgive himself for that. He is so grateful for your loyalty, and friendship, and forgiveness."

Carol just shook her head dismissively. "It's all water under the bridge. We've all been there, struggling to redefine right from wrong while still trying to hold onto what life was like before. It's always a scary process when you're forced to change the way you look at things. Which is exactly why I'm not about to start celebrating a victory here just yet."

Michonne nodded understandingly as her eyes continued scanning the room, carefully studying each and every occupant's every move; a characterisic which had been synonimous with herself to those who were equally observant, like Carol. "Yeah, I hear ya. It's gonna be a long, bumpy road, but so worth it in the end."

Carol smiled knowingly when Michonne's hand came to rest upon her stomach, which for now was as intimate a gesture as she could get between herself and her unborn child.

"Feeling better now, I hope" Carol asked as she threw a supportive arm across her friend's shoulders. "You know we can always head back to Riverview and have Dena check you out. If your morning sickness is as bad every day as it was this morning, I wouldn't just write it off. You can become severely dehydrated if you can't keep anything down, and that's not good at all for you and the baby. Especially when you're not getting all the nourishment you need to begin with."

"Look at you, sounding like a doctor already," Michonne said with a grin like that of a proud mama spreading across her face.

"I wouldn't go that far. I've still got a lot to learn, and I'm sure as hell not prepared to give you my own professional opinion just yet, which is why I highly suggest you get one from somebody like Dena who actually knows what the hell she's doing."

"Alright, under one condition, Dr. Dixon" Michonne replied with slanted eyes which indicated she was about to propose a challenge. "I want you treat me as you would a patient, right here, right now, and tell me what you think is going on and what my treatment should be, and then I will go to Riverview and get my second opinion. How does that sound?"

"Fair enough, as long as you keep your end of the bargain no matter what I say."

"You act as if I actually have a choice. Girl, I know better than to say no to you."

"Damn skippy. Alright then, your vomiting. Is it lasting throughout the entire day and are you able to keep food down?"

"I pretty much feel nauseous the entire day which just makes me not want to even look at food, but I'm really only vomiting in the mornings."

"But you are able to eat eventually and keep it down," Carol reiterated for confirmation.

"Yeah, but I really have no desire to whatsoever, I'm basically forcing myself to every day. Girl, I passed up a brownie. Did Daryl tell you about the brownie incident?"

Carol was already laughing from the moment Michonne uttered the word brownie. "No, but Carl did when he was over at our house."

"I wanted to eat it, I really did, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. And he must have asked me at least a dozen times if I was ever going to eat it, and every time I said, yes, eventually, so what does he do? I walk into the kitchen, finally feeling better with my heart set on sinking my teeth into that brownie and see his ass standing over the empty plate with chocolate crumbs all over his face."

Carol was laughing so hard she was in tears at this point, much like Carl had been when giving his own account of what was now officially being referred to as the "brownie incident" a couple of days earlier.

"I'm not sure which would have been more priceless to see. The look on his face or the one on yours."

"Actually, I think Carl had the best reaction of all. He was thoroughly enjoying every minute of watching his dad get his ass handed to him. I got my brownie though. I woke up the next morning and he was already gone. Went up to Hilltop to see if there were any more still floating around and ended up coming home with a small little pan baked just for me. You wanna know what I did with those brownies?"

"You know, I've already heard but please, tell me again. I don't think I could ever get tired of hearing this story. I might just have to turn it into a bedtime story for Alexander."

"Girl, I took that pan of brownies and split in half. Gave a whole half of it to Carl, cut a piece out of the other half for Judith, then covered up what was left in plastic wrap, wrote my name on it, and I left that shit on the counter for three more days before I finally sat down and ate the whole thing. Guess who never dared to steal a bite?"

"So you ate an entire half a pan of brownies and managed to keep it down. I'd say that's a good sign," Carol said in effort to redirect the conversation back to it's inital purpose of diagnosing her friends potentially serious medical issue despite rather enjoying the amusing anecdote.

"Yeah, I think I'm good. Believe me, I don't want anything to happen to this baby, so I would tell you if I wasn't. But, I will still go see Dena like I promised."

"It'll be a good opportunity too for us to bring some of the others who haven't seen it along. Maybe that will help inspire them a bit more."

"The very fact that you and your little man are here today should be inspiration enough. I still don't think that a lot of them understand that if you had stayed here, neither one of you would have made it."

It was hard for Carol to believe that some could be so dismissive over something that she thought about every minute of every day, but of course there was a time when she also had been so focused merely on surviving attacks from rival groups or walkers that she wasn't even thinking about medical issues, and somehow, the thought of losing a family member to injury or illness seemed almost more tragic than losing them to one of the former considering that many of the afflictions would be treatable or preventable if you had a doctor in the house.

This was especially a concern with Alexander who was so tiny and fragile and, unlike an adult, had no way of communicating there was something wrong other than to cry. Sure, she knew now that she could always take him to Riverview, and more conveniently there was always Dr. Carson over at Hilltop in the case of an immediate emergency, but that wasn't good enough. Not for her son, not for her husband, not for anyone. Alexandria was short-staffed as it was and they couldn't afford to lose anyone else because the more time that passed, the more difficult it was becoming to find people to recruit, and if they didn't work to protect the precious and few that they had left, the day would eventually come where they would find themselves unable to protect their community from the next attack, and there would be a next one. You really couldn't allow yourself to believe otherwise.

In fact, with Daryl and Aaron resuming their recruiting efforts and also heading the much-needed supply runs, their chances of finding themselves being targeted by another group were about to skyrocket. Individuals, couples or families out there on their own, or smaller tight-knit groups who had managed to stick together like their own, were becoming more and more scarce as time progressed and instead, it was more common now to find these larger, more established communities, like Hilltop, the Kingdom, Oceanside, and Riverview, which wasn't a bad thing as long as they were the friendly type. But for every good neighbor like their sister communities, there was also a Sanctuary somewhere nearby, preparing to swoop in and demand that you start giving up half your shit unless you'd rather watch your people die. They were most definitely still out there, and Daryl and Aaron and whomever else might be tagging along were bound to stumble across them sooner or later.

The very thought of Daryl out there risking life and limb on what would be almost a daily basis terrified the shit out of her, it always had, but on the same token, there was truly no one better-suited for the task. Not only was he great at judging character, but the ones you wanted to send out there to do the job should be the ones most capable of dealing with potential threats and making it back alive, and his track record in that department was most impressive. Plus, there was always the added bonus that he might bring back something good home for dinner too.

Daryl was taking on another whole slew of responsibilities as well, which pretty much came as part of a package deal being number 1a in charge. Basically, with herself being away at Riverview for half the year, he was really the one who would be overseeing everything, working closely with Carl who would play the role of the enforcer whenever he was out on the road. But generally speaking, the idea was, if you have a problem with something, you go to Daryl first, and she couldn't help but wonder if that was exactly what Tobin was doing right now as he approached her Pookie who had just finished administering their son his afternoon feeding.

Tobin had been assigned to partner up with Rick in overseeing security. Manning the guardposts and patroling the outer perimeter of Alexandria was a duty that would be shared by all on a rotating schedule, and it was up to the two of them to ensure that everyone was both doing their fair share, and received the proper training to put themselves out there. This accomplished several important tasks in addition to simply being aware of what was going on outside their walls. For one, your people would get experience taking out walkers which was more or less as good as getting in some good moving target practice should they come under attack by human forces again. Two, it was another opportunity for them to hunt down food in addition to another group where hunting would already be the primary focus. Daryl would of course be helping out in all of these areas too; the ability to multi-task was something that was expected from all, but moreso from those in the core group that beyond Daryl and herself consisted of Rick, Michonne, Carl, Tara, Eugene, Aaron, and Tobin.

"Trouble in paradise already," Michonne commented on her own observation of the interaction taking place between Daryl and Tobin, stemming specifically from the expression on Tobin's face. "He's not happy about somethin'."

Across the room, Daryl was slowly discovering what that something was about.

"I just wanted to say congratulations...on your son," Tobin said as he offered up his best attempt at a friendly smile. However, with his eyes focused on the baby in his arms instead of his own and the overall insincere quality present in the tone of his voice, it failed miserably in convincing Daryl that it was genuine in any way.

"Thanks," Daryl replied, declining to further engage until he could decipher the source of the strange vibe he'd been getting from his colleague since he'd arrived back home. He had never got to know the man well, but he had seen enough of what he was made of to make the determination that Tobin was a decent guy. But that was then and this is now and he was now presented with the challenge of figuring out exactly why his perception of him had suddenly changed.

"I never knew you and Carol were a thing. Is that something that just happened recently, or have you two kinda secretly been a thing all along?"

"How exactly is that any of your business," he hissed with obvious annoyance deliberately inserted in his response.

"It's not I suppose. I guess I just thought you should know that if the two of you were an ongoing thing, I really had no idea when she kissed me. Believe me, I'm not the kind of guy to put the moves on someone else's woman."

It was all beginning to make perfect sense now. Apparently, at some point after arriving in Alexandria, Carol, AKA The Invisible Woman, had kissed Tobin. Even though he realized what Tobin was trying to do now, he believed the guy that it actually happened. After all, Carol was doing al kinds of kooky shit at the time; baking cookies, wearing those ridiculous clothes, acting like she barely knew how to pull the trigger on a gun. It didn't surprise him in the least that she might plant a kiss on somebody too if it suited whatever role she feel she needed to play at the time. And even if there maybe was a little more to her reasoning, so what. He knew her heart belonged to him and the only reason they weren't together already was because he'd purposely kept her at a distance.

Lord knows there were times that she'd tried to break through; the kisses to his forehead and cheeks that she planted on him often would have landed elsewhere if she'd had her way, but the person who knew him better than anyone had intuitively known that he wasn't ready to take that step just yet, and settled for expressing her love for him in the most gentle, non-obtrusive way possible. It was torture to not reciprocate. Most of the time he found himself just saying something stupid to kill the mood, but there had been plenty of times where he simply just had to push her away and excuse himself because if he didn't get away fast, he was gonna break.

Giving into his feelings for her would have made them weak; that's what he had told himself when he first realized he was in love with her. Now that things were different, he certainly didn't feel that way anymore, but that was because they had both come a long way from who they used to be back then, and therefore in his summation, it had been the right decision to wait. They were just beginning to redefine themselves back then, and needed time to grow stronger as individuals before getting involved in a relationship where you were in danger of becoming complacent because you now have this partner who already loves you just the way you are. Of course they already had that in each other, pretty much since the very beginning, but somehow making it official still seemed like it would make all the difference in the world.

Identifying when the time was right however could be tricky, so he had decided long ago to leave it up to fate rather than a conscious decision of his own to take the reigns when the time was right, but being the control freak that he'd become, when fate finally showed up, it literally had to knock him out to take over.

Almost everything that happened out in the woods that day had become a blur, thanks to the fact that he had been operating on a bare minimum supply of blood from the gunshot to his shoulder. Of course it wasn't like he had no memory at all of making love to her; he'd have to have been nothing short of brain dead than not be able to remember that, but the actual memory of how they ended up doing the deed was gone, even after Carol gave him a vivid recount in attempt to fill in the blanks.

Based just on some of the things he'd said to her alone, 'I love you' being one, he knew that someone else had been pushing the buttons. If it had actually been himself calling the shots that would have been a no-no, especially considering the perilous situation they were in at the time. But Daryl Dixon was not in control that day and a higher power far wiser than himself had somehow come to the conclusion that it was time, and he passionately dared any doubters to challenge him on this belief. All the proof that he needed to defend his argument was now sleeping like a little angel himself in his arms.

"Wow, this is awkward," Tobin said a tad too gleefully for Daryl's liking following the extended silence he trceived after his revelation. "I'm sorry. I just realized now that you didn't know about that. I guess I just assumed she would have told you."

"Carol doesn't have to answer to me," Daryl replied sternly, utilizing his steely gaze as the gentle warning that Tobin was treading on thin ice as opposed to raising his voice. He damn sure wasn't going to wake his son over some stupid bullshit like this. "Let me tell you somethin' about Carol. She can take care of her own business, man. Whatever happened between the two of you...that's between you and her. You got somethin' you need to get off your chest, then I suggest you go talk to her and get it sorted out now before it's too late."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You talk to Carol and figure out a way to make peace with whatever happened between the two of you so you can move on cuz if you don't, if you start causin' Carol grief in any way, then I'll make it my business."

Apparently his icy glare now paired with a direct threat was having it's intended effect as he watched the color drain from Tobin's face. It was almost as if his little lecture had managed to exorcise whatever demon had temporarily possessed his comrade's soul, and all that remained now was a look of utter confusion and embarrassment.

"I'm sorry, I-I didn't mean to come off like I was trying to start trouble. It's just that I know you and I are going to be working together a lot, and I would feel uncomfortable if we didn't clear the air from the getgo."

"You shoulda talked to Carol first. This wasn't the way to go about it, man. Show her some respect."

Daryl watched with interest as Tobin choked on some presumed knot in his throat as if the demon was once again trying to work it's way into Tobin's soul.

"You're right, I should have gone to her. It's just that she seems different now, you know?"

Daryl snorted and shook his head to the negative. "Naw, she hasn't changed. You just never really got to know the real Carol."

And just like that, the dark entity was back in full possession of Tobin's body once more, most noticably from a sudden lack of any expression at all. Daryl doubted that he even heard his final parting reminder to find Carol as he walked away with his back turned to him and never looked back. If his intent was to follow Dary's suggestion and find Carol, then he missed his opportunity by failing to turn around.

"What was that all about," Carol's voice suddenly came from behind, as she laid one hand upon Daryl's shoulder and the other swooped in to stroke her baby boy's head.

"Just some stupid shit," Daryl muttered, declining to mention anything that was discussed for the sole reason that his feelings concerning the subject matter were indeed one hundred percent accurate. It was none of his business and whatever Carol had done with Tobin in the past didn't concern him in the least.

"Anything we need to worry about?"

"He's got some concerns, but I told him he needs to talk to you and only you on this one."

"Oh...those kinds of concerns."

She was sitting beside him now, and it was evident to Daryl by her blush that she understood the nature of the conversation that had taken place.

"What did he say to you? Was he getting aggressive, cuz he sure didn't look happy?"

"Naw, not aggressive, but you're right about the not happy part."

Carol frowned animatedly enough to conjure up several deep, worry lines to appear on her forehead. "Well shit. I better go talk to him before this gets out of hand."

"Better, you li'l heartbreaker," he said with a wink while the creation of a clever new nickname for his love brought a child-like smile to his face.

"That's not funny," she replied unconvincingly, thanks to the presence of an involuntary grin that managed to creep it's way up the corners of her mouth. "I'm gonna go find him."

As Carol departed on her mission, Michonne's previous prior observation began weighing heavily on her conscience.

 _Trouble in paradise already._

It was bound to happen at some point or another, and in both external and internal form, but she wasn't at all prepared to face the dilemma she was being dealt as of right now this early in the game. She had hoped to be able to focus solely on developing her teams during the short period of time she would be home, but instead she found herself presented with her first major unforseen issue. Based on her observations of Tobin's behavior discussing with Daryl what she now knew was her and apparently some imagined relationship that they shared following a single, innocent kiss, it was one that required immediate intervention before things got out of hand. She'd seen that look a million times before on her ex-husband's face, it just never dawned on her that it was jealousy until she'd been made aware that she was the subject matter.

Maybe she hadn't noticed right away because typically that look had been directed at her, right before Ed would begin pummeling away on whatever body part he chose to target at the time. But this time the one receiving the look of death was Daryl, and she couldn't help but think that the only thing preventing the confrontation between the two from turning physical at the time was Daryl's preoccupation with Alexander and a room-full of witnesses.

Perhaps a talk was all that was needed to resolve the isssue. After all, her first impressions of Tobin, and Daryl's as well, was that he was a good, solid guy, and he had definitely proved himself to be an asset to the community in the midst of war. Everyone had a tendency to appear a little off their rocker at times, and she hoped to God that after their talk, that would be the conclusion she would walk away with. It was either that, or she would be forced to make her first complex decision as the person in charge, and she never imagined that her initial major move would involve having to dispose of one of their own.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

The next morning a mini-van crammed full of Alexandrians came to a rest in front of Thornton House inside the Riverview community. Since Teresa who was manning the guard post at the front gate had announced their arrival to the others through the walkie, Dena was already on the front porch eagerly anticipating their arrival, and before they could all manage to pile out of the van she was right there waiting curbside.

"Is everything OK with the little one," was her first and only concern for the moment as she singled out Carol, with Alexander attached to her front asleep in the pink snugli, and gave her a quick hug. "I wasn't expecting to see you back so soon. And where's Daryl?"

"He stayed behind to go out on a supply run with some of the others. And yes, Alexander is doing just fine."

A look of relief crossed Dena's face upon hearing the good news. Although Carol and baby were most definitely in the clear when they left to return to Alexandria, she would have much preferred that they stay another few weeks for further observation and then some. Or never leave at all if she had her say.

"I see you've brought some new faces," Dena commented, regarding Eugene, Tara, and Carl with a warm, welcoming smile which prompted them to begin introducing themselves. When it came down to Carl however, she beat him to the punch. "You must be Carl. I've heard so much about you. Carol brags on you like you were her own son you know."

It was more of a statement than a question, and one that had made Carl blush. He'd always thought the world of Carol and when his own mother had passed, she had unofficially become the new mother figure in his life. There was even a brief time in history where he had entertained the idea that she might one day be his actual mother-in-law after he developed his very first girl crush ever on her daughter. Sophia had been the first girl ever to make him feel like he was more than just your average dumb boy, but he supposed that he himself had a lot to do with this new perception.

The first time he had seen her was when they were enroute to Atlanta and the traffic had come to a stand-still on the freeway. When it had become apparent that no one was going anywhere anytime soon, everyone had begun piling out of their cars to exchange information. The Peletiers were in a few cars ahead of them, and Sophia's hysterical crying had drawn his immediate attention. He found himself wanting to run to the girl and try to offer her comfort in some way because that's exactly what his very own father would have done if he had been there, and it was now up to him to grow up and be a man and carry on his late father's legacy.

His mother however did not share his vision. He was still just her little boy, and he would never fault her for simply wanting to protect her son, but it did force him to find a more subtle way to reach the frightened girl. Shane and his mom had kept him on a pretty short leash once they actually allowed him to leave the car, but every chance he got he would steal a couple more steps in Sophia's direction until it eventually led his mother straight to Carol. By this time, he had already managed to make eye contact with Sophia, sneak in a couple of nonchalant waves, and offer up the bravest little smile he could muster so that by the time a formal introduction was finally upon them, she had stopped crying entirely. For the first time in his life he felt like a man that Rick Grimes would be proud of, and from that moment on he made it his mission to not only be strong for Sophia, but his mom and everyone else too.

But he wasn't the only one who had been busy devising a plan for who they wanted to be moving forward, and several other transformations to reveal themselves at a later date were also quietly under way, and none were more impressive to himself than Carol's. For that reason, being named her number one in charge next in line to herself and Daryl was an honor that to him was greater than any other he could dream of, and once again he found himself driven by the desire to exceed every expectation set forth.

"Yes, ma'am, Carl Grimes," he said as he extended his hand for a shake. "I'd ask what it was that gave me away, but I am kinda known for my good looks and charming smile. Gives me away every time."

His little poke at himself for in reality being known as the one-eyed kid in the sheriff's hat drew chuckles from all, including Dena which in turn offered Carl his first real glimpse at this woman who Carol thought so highly of. Everyone had their own way of judging first impressions, and for him it had always been the quality of one's laugh that offered the best initial sneak-peek into their soul. Words could be deceiving and more often were than not, and considering the fact that one of the most "charming" looking smiles he'd ever seen actually came off a man who had tried to kill them all, he'd deemed them useless. A laugh that lacked any genuine qualities however was damn near impossible to pass off as the real thing, and he was happy to note that Dena passed his personality test with flying colors. Not that he really had any doubts. The fact that she already had Carol and Daryl's stamp of approval spoke volumes about her character.

"So what brings y'all here," Dena inquired as she directed her attention back to Carol. "I wasn't expecting to see you back for another couple of months. Is there something you need, or did you just miss us?"

"A little of both. If you have the time to see them now, Michonne and Rick would like to get your professional opinion on something, and I of course would like to be present for training purposes."

"Oh, of course," Dena replied with a smile that managed to impress even the likes of Carl as the realization she was about to see a new pregnant patient settled in. "Why don't you bring them in and get started and while you do that, I'll get Mackenzie down here to give the rest of them the tour. How does that sound?"

"You read my mind."

"She's probably already on her way here anyway. She about broke everyone's eardrums on the walkie when she heard you were back." Dena barely had time to sneak in a chuckle to accompany her remark when the roaring engine of a car suddenly caused a disturbance in the serence, Mayberry-like atmosphere that was typical of Riverview. "As a matter of fact, that would be her speeding up the street like a maniac right now."

"Howdy everybody," Mackenzie chirped cheerfully as she leapt from the open-air Jeep Wrangler and ran directly to Carol for a hug. "How's the li'l ass-kicker? I'm assuming he's fine or you wouldn't standing around out here."

"He is, he's just perfect."

"Where's Daryl?"

Carol found herself tickled by Mackenzie's obvious disappointment that her other half had not joined them for the trip. Daryl, although he was surely one of the most decent human beings one could ever come to know, wasn't exactly the kind that people warmed up to right away or vice-versa, but for the girl who in so many ways reminded her of a young female version of him, making friends between the two had been fast and easy.

"He would have loved to come, but supplies are pretty scarce back at home so he took some of the others out on a run. He did tell me to tell you, 'Hey,' though."

At this point Carol was beginning to wonder if Scout even heard that Daryl had sent his greetings as it became quite apparent that something, or somebody rather, managed to divert her attention. Taking note, she began giving names to the new faces in the group, saving the one particular person of interest for last.

"And this is Rick's son, Carl. He's going to be the one keeping an eye on things for me back at home while I'm here."

"Yep, and she means that literally too. Just 'an" eye."

Carl's little quip managed to extract yet another chuckle out of everyone except for Mackenzie who instead appeared to be completely fascinated by what lay hidden beneath the bandage.

"How'd it happen," she inquired as her tiny hand began traveling toward his face, then suddenly dropped back to her side when she must have determined, judging by the blush that accompanied the withdrawal, that such a gesture was inappropriate for a first meeting.

"Got shot. Stray bullet," he was quick to clarify when a look of horror crept across Mackenzie's face. There was no need to further elaborate that Ron very well may have shot at him intentionally if given the chance.

"Wow. Y'all have really been through hell and back haven't ya?"

"Yeah, but that's what's made us strong."

Carol took a minute to steal a glance at both Rick and Dena, hoping to see some indicator that they also observed the mutual infatuation taking place between their respective children at the moment. Catching Carol's eye, Dena raised an eyebrow noting that she was fully aware of the situation.

"Can you show Carl, Tara, and Eugene around while the rest of us take care of some business," Dena inquired as she watched her honorary daughter's eyes light up with delight at her suggestion.

"Yeah, of course!" Turning her attention back to Carl, as if it ever strayed far in the first place, she continued. "Follow me, sheriff. I'll show you how we do things in these here parts."

While the others were getting the official guided tour, Carol took on the role of doctor with Dena observing closely at her side. The doc was impressed by how much she'd remembered since the last time she'd actually sat in on an evaluation, which was well before Alexander was born, and even more fascinated by the fact that she'd given Michonne the correct diagnosis: her morning sickness, while borderline severe, was not quite serious enough to be considered hyperemesis gravidarum, and as long as symptoms did not progress, mother and baby would be just fine.

The ultrasound was a whole other story. She could decipher the stats just fine, but as was the case observing during her own pregnancy, Carol left the visual analysis up to her instructor and opted to take notes and ask the appropriate questions instead. It had been a struggle then to identify all the parts of the anatomy that Dena was able to point out with such ease, and at the time she had been so overwhelmed by the fact that she couldn't always see the things Dena was trying to show her that she thought for sure that the ultrasound itself would be the undoing of her future medical career. At least that was what she thought until the majority of her own silent observations were mirrored by Dena's official outspoken one, and it became apparent that she had learned much more than she gave herself credit for.

Of course she was still far from being an expert, and that was something she was swiftly and painfully reminded of when Dena put her on the spot by asking her to explain to Michonne exactly what developments were taking place in her ten week old fetus at the time. If she had been wary of her answer to begin with she supposed being corrected wouldn't have stung quite as much, but she had been fairly confident explaining to Michonne that her little one was already making facial expressions only to be informed by Dena that it was still another four weeks down the road before that particular activity would begin taking place. The mistake knocked a bit of wind from her sails for sure, but since failure had been scratched off the list of options long ago, she found herself tackling the situation with the very same mindframe that had kept her alive all these years: be fearless, be positive, believe in yourself, and do whatever is necessary to achieve your goal, which for the most part, up until now, had been simply staying alive.

But it wasn't merely about personal survival any more, or even the survival of all members of your new family or community as a whole. People were beginning to look beyond that now and explore the possibilities for mankind in general moving forward, and she couldn't help but feel that she and the others were somehow destined to be a part of this distinct group of individuals divinly chosen to reshape the world, each with their own unique purpose. She was quite aware of how egotistical the theory sounded, but there really was no other explanation as to how herself and the others had found themselves thrust into their respective roles time and again.

She was the nurturer, the care-giver. The one to look out for the well-being of everyone, and children specifically. Initially when Sophia died she had believed that her life as a mother died right along with her daughter, but fate just seemed to have it's way of keeping children within her orbit. The first occurrence had been when Lori died. She didn't think too much of it at the time since it only seemed natural that Carl should gravitate toward her considering they had become close to begin with through his friendship with Sophia, or that Rick looked to her first and foremost to care for Judith considering that he knew her the longest and she had the experience to boot. But it didn't begin or end with Carl or Judith; there was Lizzie and Mika, and Sam...Benjamin. They all gravitated toward her with hardly an ounce of effort on her part, and as annoying as she might have found it at times, there was also a part of her that was grateful for the opportunity to continue on in the role that she once thought she had been cruelly stripped of in life.

The idea that fate had reserved this role for her however did not become obvious until Alexander came along, but if ever there was a sign that this what she was meant to do, he was certainly it. She and Ed had tried nearly two full years to get pregnant before Sophia finally came along, and that was considered something of a miracle back then. With Alexander, not only had getting pregnant been the furthest thing from her mind, but it happened in one completely random moment where both responsible parties couldn't help but feel like some sort of divine intervention had taken place during that temporary breach of self-control. Then if his creation alone wasn't miraculous enough, the fact that both mother and child made it through a nearly impossible pregnancy to survive in this day and age certainly was. There was no escaping the role, she knew that now, and for that reason there was a degree of fear which accompanied her newfound determination to fulfill her destiny. As crazy as it sounded, she couldn't help but feel that Alexander was gifted to her as a final warning to get on board or else, and if she somehow failed to live up to the expectations set forth, she'd lose him too.

She wasn't quite sure why becoming a doctor somehow became part of this, she only knew that there had to be some good reason that would eventually reveal itself somewhere down the road, and that was all the motivation she needed to move forth, and the sooner the better. Daryl would be disappointed to learn she had elected to stay behind while the others returned home, but when Rick relayed her message that it was something she felt she needed to do, he would also understand and support her, all without either of them even having the slightest idea he would be the very first one back at home to directly benefit from her decision.


End file.
